where residents were preparing for a directhit.jenniferdavisreports.>> reporter: the east coast braced for a blowout, but earl just blew on by. cape cod woke up tie gorgeous day and now it's time to get back to business as unusual. earl weakening from a mighty hurricane to a tropical storm, still bringing with it plenty of wind and waves, but not nearly enough to bother weather- warned new englanders used to rougher weather. >> it's okay. >> reporter: did you notice it? >> not really. there were thunderstorms worse than that. >> reporter: signs came down in preparation for what could have been a serious blast with hurricane-force wind and rain burb those same signs are going back up and business owners hope it could be an economic viable labor day weekend. >> this was a nothing storm, as you might think. we have regular windy days here that are 50 miles per hour winds, southwesterly, not northeasterly, but this was a real bust. >> reporter: massachusetts suffered a few hundred power outages and flooding in low laying areas, but no major damage reports. what is now tropical st